Emphysema does not cause leg swelling in the early stages, but as emphysema progresses to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, secondary pulmonary hypertension, and pulmonary heart disease, it may lead to leg swelling, the pathogenesis of which is divided into the following three steps:
1. Emphysema appears as a structural change of decreased elasticity, increased volume, and increased residual air volume of lung tissue. Obstructive emphysema, in particular, can severely affect respiratory airflow as the amount of residual air increases, leading to incompletely reversible airflow limitation;
2. Airflow limitation can cause chronic hypoxia with progressive carbon dioxide retention, causing spasm of the small pulmonary arteries and eventually pulmonary hypertension;
3. Pulmonary hypertension increases the load on the right ventricle, which accumulates over time, resulting in right heart insufficiency and even right heart failure, which obstructs the return of blood from the body circulation to the heart, and venous blood return obstruction overflows out of the blood vessels and into the tissues, resulting in leg swelling.
In addition, if the leg is swollen unilaterally, it is also necessary to pay attention to the possibility of venous thrombosis of the lower limbs.
When emphysema patients appear leg swelling, should go to the regular hospital in time, clear cause, standardized symptomatic treatment, to avoid delaying the condition, resulting in adverse consequences.